I hate uh and um.
If you are saying
Ummmmm, like this food is so good I can't stop eating and can only say ummmmm, that's OK.
It is not OK to say Uh OR Um when you can't think of a word.
If I were to start a drinking game and the word would be "uh"
I'd be drunk every time I turned the TV on.
"Um" is a close second.
When I was a kid, you couldn't say either one in school.
You got told to speak right.
So, why is it OK now?
I don't let my daughter say them.
Or, I didn't when she was little.
So, she doesn't now.
Now, celebrities on talk shows do.
Secretaries of State do. Hilary, would you please get speaking lessons from Bill?
Presidents that use teleprompters do. Past and present, to be fair.
Seriously, how can you lose your train of thought when you are reading off a screen?
Are you stupid?
Maybe that's a "stupid" question.
Either think things through before opening your mouth or stop a second til you get the word you want.
That's all anyone has to do.
Is that so hard?
Especially for those that make their money by the spoken word.
**********************************************************
Last year's U- Play Me Some Ukulele
We used to get points off for saying Um or uh during presentations. Teachers would actually keep count!
ReplyDeleteThat's the way it ought to be.
DeleteThat is my biggest fear while speaking is saying ummm or uhh..I do notice it in other people. I think the more you know your material the less likely you are to say ummm. We go to 2 churches and neither pastor ever says ummm. Ever.
ReplyDeleteGood post and a great U word. Found this blog from A-Z Challenge. :)
I don't think I have heard a pastor use either one either. Maybe they take good speaking classes in the seminary. Or are sure of what they want to say. Or both.
DeleteThanks.
Every time I hear a public speaker, I count the Um and Uh's. I had a speech teacher once who couldn't teach class without them. A SPEECH teacher. Waste of college credits right there.
ReplyDeleteSara- Oh, now that is pathetic right there.
DeleteWhat about "hmmm?"
ReplyDeleteGail, since that was the title of my H post last year I'd be a hypocrite to bash it.
DeleteFunny posting I feel the same way about the word "basically" when someone is talking. Once is fine but when someone keeps using that word. :)
ReplyDeleteGossip_Grl, "really" all the time bugs me too. You say something and the other person says "Really?". No I just made it up.
DeleteI am sure you do just fine, Karen.
ReplyDeleteWhen a speaker resorts to the use of "uh," it gets to be so grating that it is ALL that I hear. I miss the message of whatever he is saying.
ReplyDelete"Uh, Mr. Penwasser...uh..due to...uh...budget cuts...we...uh...need to...uh...surgically remove your...uh...penis."
Of course, the message lost in all of this is what kind of business would I be in if budget cuts resulted in forcible penis confiscation?
Uh...that's a good question.
I know. Once the first uh is uttered it's over.
DeleteThe other verbal tick I HATE is like. It's like . . . I try to be really aware of these things because they are so annoying. Found you on Blogging AtoZ! Great post!
ReplyDeleteI used to say like when I was younger. Too much isn't good.
DeleteThanks for stopping by.
I am more of a 'correct' or 'right' girl. Sometimes I'll throw in an 'I dunno.' If I lose my train of thought, you'll get a lot of that.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if that is why my daughter says "I dunno". It just seems kind of random.
Delete